1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward an apparatus and method for placing an alignment mark on a steering column to facilitate subsequent installation of a steering wheel thereon.
2. Description of Related Art
During the manufacture of automobiles, it is common to mark a steering column to indicate the neutral position or center position of the steering column. Placement of such a mark on the steering column permits an associate to subsequently orient the steering wheel such that the steering wheel is positioned in a neutral rotary orientation (i.e., not turned left or right) when the vehicle is traveling ‘straight ahead’. Typically, such a steering column alignment mark is made on the steering column with the assistance of an automated machine. Thereafter, the steering column alignment mark may be tested to insure that it has been properly placed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,259 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/979,968, the entire disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference, illustrate two different apparatuses and methods for checking whether a steering column alignment mark has been properly located on the steering column.
While the aforementioned apparatus and methods work satisfactorily in checking whether an alignment mark has been properly placed, they are not adapted to accommodate situations in which the automated alignment and marking machinery is out of service. In these situations, with the assembly line would have to be shut down, or else the assembly line associate would be forced to make manual approximations to determine the center of the steering column (i.e., neutral position) for installation of the steering wheel. As will be appreciated, such manual approximation, while better than shutting the assembly line down, has proven to not be particularly effective or efficient.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for an apparatus and method for assisting in manually marking a center or neutral position of a steering column so as to permit subsequent accurate placement of a steering wheel thereover.